8 Ways To Dress Well in 2018

Being well-turned out is a privilege. Here's how to make the best of it.

As a long-standing and no-doubt esteemed reader of Esquire, you already know the hallmark 'New Year Style Resolutions': Find a tailor, buy some nice shoes, invest in a proper coat, get your hair cut, accost strangers on the street who are wearing bad trousers and don't forget to trust in classic, timeless pieces.

But it's 2018, baby... the future! (sort of) So it's time to step up, step out and add some stylish new vigour to that resolution list (because you're definitely going to give up bread and go on that silent retreat, too).

Covering the trends, designers, looks and vibes that are set to define the next 12 months, here's how you can dress for your best self in the year of our Lord (aka Raf Simons) 2018.

1 | Get To Know The Next Set Of Collabs

A great time for style - if not much else - 2017 was the year that the high-end, high-powered collaboration went stratospheric, owing in huge part to Louis Vuitton and Supreme's iconic teamwork and later to Virgil Abloh and Nike's 10-part sell-out sneaker collection.

With the groundwork laid and interests piqued, this year's next-gen collabs will see Russian streetwear designer (and football fan) Gosha Rubchinskiy collaborate with both Burberry and adidas, Vetements join forces with Tommy Hilfiger and DHL (yes, that DHL... don't ask), along with maximalist streetwear label Fear of God and Nike sitting down to work on a collection of trainers.

Oh, and we almost forgot - there are also whispers, albeit it faint, of a Supreme and Rolex watch collaboration.

3 | Buy A Pair Of Risk-Taking Kicks

The trend you never saw coming, until it was stomp, stomp, stomping right outside your front door: the 'Ugly Trainer' epidemic was either the best or worst thing to happen to sneakers... possibly ever? Whatever your view, there are still lessons to be learned herein.

While you might not be prepared to join Demna's Triple S platform army, what you should take from the whole exercise is an appreciation for considered risk. Prada are doing velcro, Adidas and Balenciaga are doing 'Snockers' (sneakers that slip on and fit like socks, duhh). Even Common Projects - once minimalists till the death - are adding a bit of heel and athletic curve to new designs.

Basically, the 2018 on-foot M.O. is to buy a pair of trainers that you can't play tennis and/or skateboard in.

4 | There's Still Plenty Of Time To Get Into Cord

(Getty)

It's warm, it's stylish, it looks great in everything from earthy hues to navy blue and it only gets better the more you wear it. Yes, it's cord and, as a trend, it's only just getting started.

Emerging in trousers, jackets and blazers in Autumn, now's the time to embrace your inner archaeologist/cantankerous granddad with a thin-cord overshirt, wider-leg trousers or, our personal recommendation, a full suit in black or indigo.

That texture!

5 | Buying British

(Jamie Morgan)

Not to get all "Brexit means Brexit" on you or anything, but *Single, Union Jack-hued tear falls patriotically onto keyboard* this strange little island really does produce some of the greatest designers, tailors and fashionable creators in the world, and 2018 is all about supporting them.

Whether it's Craig Green's low-key genius, Grace Wales Bonner's subversive fluidity or more-accessible, but not no less fashionable, brands like Universal Works and Blood Brother, take a step outside your comfort zone and buy British this year.

6 | Show Your Allegiances

ASAP Rocky rocking Gucci. (Getty)

Set to be the apex of the branded/maximalism trend, 2018 will see plenty more labels sticking their, err, label across all manner of items and collections. Because if you're wearing Gucci and you don't tell anyone... then are you really wearing Gucci at all?

The key to rocking logos in the real world is to choose something with a subtle font that will draw knowing eyes to the grail piece you're wearing, rather than throwing a garish (metaphorical) brick in the face of onlookers.

Leave that stuff to the celebrities.

7 | Change Up Your Trousers

Harry Styles in a very ’New Year, New You’ pair of loose-fitting cords. (Getty)

Look, we get it. Those chinos fit really well and they come in a whole (muddy) Crayola box of colours. But one of the easiest ways to freshen up your style without spending a fortune is to add a different shape into your usual trouser rotation.

With wider legs now a real, actual thing that are ok to wear, there's never been a better time to experiment with higher-waists, cropped finishes and chilled, drawstring trousers made out of luxury fabrics... not to mention those nice track pants that we're always banging on about.

Chinos and jeans are still fine, but 2018 is the year for unchartered waters when it comes to trousers so find you're inner Captain Cook.

8 | Get Set For Prep

Armie Hammer and Timothee Chalamet in ’Call Me By Your Name’ (Sony)

Tying into a wider, slow-burning fashion reappraisal of that decade of heat and hedonism (pinstripes and retro sportswear are pretty big too you might recall), the Eighties are back on top, meaning that preppy is no longer the style seppuku of years past.

Blame it on the fickle world of fashion or blame it on Call Me By Your Name - Luca Guadagnino's dreamy meditation on the Italian summer of '84 with all of its deadstock Ralph Lauren, boat shoes and pastel hues - all we know is that come springtime, you're going to want to undo three buttons on your powder blue Oxford shirt and get down to the boat club.